Safety-stirrup



F. GIBSONS.

SAFETY STIRRUF.

APPLICATION man FES.7,1919.

mama om. 269 mo;

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

FRED GIBBONS, OF YRKTON, SASKATCHEWAN, GANADi/t.f

Specication of Letters Patent. Pate/Died Oct 26, 1920.

Application `filed. February 7, 1919.A Serial TNO; 275,584.

T0 all Qc 7mm @'25 may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRED GiBBoNs, a subject of the King of England, residing at Yorkton and Provinceotl Saskatchewan, Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety-Stirrups, ofwhichthefollowing is a specification.

The objectof-the invention is `to provide a stirrup which will effectively and quickly release the foot cfr-a rider should the latter be thrown from his mount. To this end'the invention comprises a stirrup composed of an L-shape section and two hingedly mounted sections attached to the L-shape section to give the stirrup its proper form, the hingedly mounted sections being releasable and being automatically thrown back when released. mounted sections is elected by means of a strap control catch mounted on the L-shape section.

The invention is illustrated and described in a specific embodiment to which, however, it is not t'o be restricted. The right is reserved to make such changes or alterations as the actual reduction to practice may suggest, in so 'far as such changes or alterations are compatible in spirit with the annexed claim.

In the accompanying' drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the improved stirrup.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view looking in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view looking in the direction of the arrow B of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the stirrup iS shown as representing an L-shape body element 1, the shorter leg of this element comprising the upper transverse member of the stirrup and having formed therein the eye 2 for the attachment of the stirrup strap. The free end of the leg 2 is straddled by the legs 3 of the bifurcated end of the arm 4 and this arm is pivotally connected to the upper arm of the member 1, a' pin 5 passing through the legs 3 and loosely engaging an appropriate hole adjacent the end of the shorter leg of the body member.

The tread plate 5 is formed with two spaced ears 6 which straddle the lower end of the arm 4 to permit the tread plates be- The release of these hingedly ing `pivotally attached Vto the arm 4 which att'achment'is effected by means of the pin setgin` the two ears and loosely engaging a hole in the arm 4. y

At the' end remote from `the ears the tread plate: is .formed with a tongue 3 and this tongue 8 is held in a. recess formed part in thelong leg of the body element 1 and part in the jaw 9 which isV hingedly attached at the lower end of the longerleg of the body element, as indicated at l0. lt will be observed in Fig. 2 that this jaw 9 is so attached to the body element and so supports the tongue that any pressure imposed upon the tread plate will tend to throw the jaw open and thus release the tread plate, the hinge being in one side of the tongue to facilitate such throwing of the jaw. To preclude movement oi' the jaw, however, except when it is necessary to release the tread plate, the upper end of a long leg of the body member has mounted thereon a spring-held catch 12 which engages a lug 13 formed at the upper end of the jaw. The catch consists of a lever formed Vat one end with a'laterally projecting nose engaging beneath the lug 13, and the spring 12, connecting with the body element 1, spans the upper end of the jaw and has its remaining end connected with the lever adjacent to the nose. By this spring the lever or latch element when in engagement with the lug 13 is held'against the side of the jaw element 9. This catch has attachedto it one end of a straplor cord 14 which is carried to and connected with the belly band of the saddle. The cord connects with the lever remote from the nose and obviously a pull upon the cord will tend to spring the lever away from the jaw 9 with the nose as the pivot point. Continued pull on the cord will move the lever to a point where the spring will cease to act to hold it in engagement with the jaw 9, thus allowing the latter to fall.

Both the pins 5 and 7 carry mounted thereon the springs 15, the tendency of which is to turn the tread plate and the arm 4 in the opposite direction from that which is necessary to bring them to normal position. Thus when the jaw 9 is released, these springs tend to throw the tread plate 5 and the arm 4 away from the longer arm of the body member and up in the direction of the shoulder arm thereof.

As will be observed, the catch 13 is released immediately a strain is imposed on the cable lli and such a strain would be imposed on the-cablewere the rider thrown from his mount, as the stirrup would be dragged away from the side of themount and thereby create a mis-pull. Thereupon the jaw 9 is released and drops or is forced downwardly by the tread plate 5, the springs turning this tread plate andthe arm away from the body member, as before described,

and thus releasing theriders foot.

The invention having. been described what is new and useful, is:

ln a stirrup, an L-shaped body element, an arm having one end hingedly attached to the end of one leg 0I" the body element, a tread plate having one end hingedly attached to the remaining end of the arm, a looking jaw pivotally mounted at the end of the remaining leg of the body element,

leg and the tongue resting between the two adjacent the point of pivotal connection, and a spring held late-hing element carried by the said'remainin-g leg and engaging the jaw to releasablyhold the jaw in position for retainingthe tread plate in normal position, and a flexible connection between the latch and the girth of the saddle to provide for release of the latch and the jaw upon a definite lateral movement of the stirrup away from the side of theanimal being hidden.

-n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRED GIBBONS. 

